Neil Meltzer - President and CEO of LifeBridge Health

Neil Meltzer,
President and CEO of LifeBridge Health

Neil Meltzer began his relationship with Sinai Hospital in 1988 as vice president of Operations, and has ascended the ranks ever since. In 1992, he became senior vice president of Operations before moving up four years later to senior vice president and chief operating officer of what is today an $846 million, 504-bed community teaching hospital. Meltzer assumed the titles of president and COO of Sinai and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health in 1998. He became president and CEO of LifeBridge Health on July 1, 2013.

Meltzer has helped make LifeBridge Health more than a place to receive top-notch health care. During his tenure as Sinai Hospital president, the Baltimore Business Journal recognized LifeBridge Health for three consecutive years as a "Best Place to Work" in the greater Baltimore area, and LifeBridge Health was subsequently added to the Fortune 100 list of Best Places to Work. He created the office of Medical Education, which supports residency training initiatives, continuing education and faculty development. He has prioritized research and a patient-centered philosophy of care. In 2008, Sinai Hospital was awarded Magnet status, which is the highest distinction bestowed to an organization for its nursing culture.

Also under Meltzer, LifeBridge Health established the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, a world-class orthopedic institute that boasts internationally renowned surgeons and state-of-the-art orthopedic operating rooms. Meltzer also collaborated with physician leaders to cultivate the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute, a multi-specialty center of excellence. The Institute was honored by U.S. News & World Report and has achieved American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Sustained Gold Plus Recognition at both Sinai and Northwest hospitals.

Meltzer has made LifeBridge Health a beacon of the Baltimore community and beyond, and remains engaged with the city and the state of Maryland. He is on the Greater Baltimore Committee's President’s Advisory Committee, the Baltimore City Workforce Investment Board and the Maryland Hospital Association Board, where he chaired the Legislative and Regulatory Policy Committee from 2011-2013. He also makes time to sit on the President’s Advisory Council for the Notre Dame of Maryland University. The governor of Maryland acknowledged Meltzer’s contributions by appointing him chairman of the state’s Workforce Investment Board Health Care Committee.

Meltzer was spotlighted on the national stage as national chairman of the American Heart Association (AHA) from 2009-2010. His work took him to AHA affiliates all around the country. He rallied supporters at Start! Heart Walks, galas, and Go Red and Power to End Stroke events. He devoted his time and energy to the association’s Scientific Sessions, where some of the brightest minds in heart health came together to defeat heart disease. He also teamed with former President Bill Clinton to celebrate schools that champion healthy lifestyles.

A leading advocate for consumers throughout the health care reform debate, Meltzer was appointed (and recently reappointed) by the president of the United States as a member of the National Health Care Workforce Commission. This 15-member panel — an invaluable resource for the executive and congressional branches — was established to ensure that our health care workforce is well prepared to meet the current and future needs of all Americans.